The temperature of the water within a water heater is usually maintained and adjusted by a rotatable temperature dial. In the case of a gas-fired water heater, there is a temperature dial that is operatively connected to a gas controller valve that directs the flow of gas to a burner whenever the temperature of the water falls below the set temperature. For an electric water heater, there is a temperature dial that is operatively connected to a thermostat that directs electricity to a heating element whenever the temperature of the water falls below the set temperature.
Excessive water temperature is a hazard in that it may cause scalding at any of the various faucets or appliances serviced by the water heater. Accidental or inadvertent adjustment of the temperature dial can cause water to issue at unexpectedly high temperatures.
The temperature dial is located in a position that is typically easily reached and rotated. If the water heater is located in a readily accessible location, the temperature dial can easily be tampered with or moved by people or things coming into contact with the temperature dial.
Properly securing a water heater from this type of tampering typically results in additional cost and/or inconvenience as to its use. Locking the water heater into an enclosure requires either keys to be kept or a combination to be remembered. An enclosure may also hamper the installation, replacement or servicing of the water heater. Other solutions require a screwdriver or other tool to change the temperature of the temperature dial. An example of this type of device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,617,954, which issued on Sep. 9, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Some of the devices that have previously been developed that are associated directly with a control knob or valve to prevent tampering either involve a substantial additional cost of manufacturing or are very inconvenient to use. These devices can either lock the temperature dial or the gas controller valve/thermostat into place to physically prevent it from being rotated. Other devices serve to decouple the temperature dial and the gas controller valve or the temperature dial and the thermostat from an internal actuation mechanism. In addition to the increased costs in manufacturing, such devices are often difficult to retrofit to existing installations.
Therefore, a significant problem is the inadvertent adjustment of a temperature dial and the lack of a solution that does not involve significant inconvenience or increased manufacturing costs.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.